The Minister of Health spoke on Wednesday evening at Antena 3 CNN, about the conclusions of the checks carried out at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Iași, where six children died in the last weeks in the ATI section. “A higher administrative and procedural chaos I have never seen“, Said Alexandru Rogobete.
Rogobete spoke about the report of the Control Body of the Ministry of Health. Photo gov.ro
“What I identified in Iași, at a first glance, when I decided on Saturday to go to see how the situation is: a greater administrative and procedural chaos as in Iași I never saw anywhere. From the interim manager, to the head of the section, to the hospital epidemiologist, to the medical director, they were not in the case. The measures you took?”, Said the official at Antena 3 CNN.
The minister continued:
“Three people, four people I talked to in three hours could not describe my protocol and the process they followed in this situation, precisely to reduce the spread of the infection and to other children. (…) No specific protocol for these situations. The protocol says that it should have been tested.”
Alexandru Rogobete said that “The protocol is relatively simple ”:
“When they had the first case, considering that we are talking about a neonatology section, of ATI, newborns, children and so on, they should have been activated in maximum 24 hours and the next day to take microbiology tests from the surfaces from as many points in this health unit, if it is already to be identified.”
Public health in Iași sent the first epidemiological recommendation only a few hours before I came to Iasi.
“He is a cry to heaven.”
The minister also said that there is not even a document, a report or a recommendation that the hospital epidemiologist or the management of the sanitary unit would have sent to the ATI section:
“They did nothing. He is a crying in heaven, because for almost two weeks they did nothing. Worse, they reported late to the Public Health Directorate the number of cases of patients infected with the same pathogen. And, worse, DSP from Iași sent the first epidemiological recommendation only a few hours before I arrived.”
“There will be consequences”
The minister announced that “There will be consequences. “
“Certainly tomorrow I will send to the General Prosecutor’s Office the report of the Control Body of the Minister of Health and the State Sanitary Inspection Report, because there are a series of inconsistencies in what my inspectors have found, and the situation and the way this health unit was managed is a cry to heaven.”.
Minister Alexandru Rogobete had previously stated that the report of the control body would be made public to ensure transparency and responsibility, without excluding new dismissals and sanctions. “The carelessness, indolence, disorder and administrative chaos will not be tolerated. Who does not do their job, leaves home – no matter who is put there!” emphasized the official.
We recall that the laboratory analyzes performed at the Children’s Hospital “Saint Maria” confirmed the presence of the Bacteria Marcecens Serratia in the drain of a sink from the intensive care unit.
In the last three weeks, nine children admitted to ATI have been diagnosed with infection with the Marcescens Serratia, of which seven died. The victims were different ages, the youngest patient being a newborn for several days, and the largest being 12 years old.
Preliminary investigations showed that St. Mary’s hospital reported only on September 15, the case of the first little girl to the Public Health (DSP) Directorate, one week after diagnosis, during which two other children were infected, and one died. The institution reacted only four days later, the delay being criticized by parents and authorities.
The hospital manager was dismissed, although he remained as medical director, and the management of DSP Iași is accused of not intervened in time. Press sources reported that the head of DSP was not even present at the visit of the Minister of Health, and employees of the institution present on the spot avoided contact with the press.
The hospital received a fine of 50,000 lei for non -compliance with protocols for nosocomial infections, and the hospital epidemiologist and a doctor from ATI were sanctioned with 10,000 lei each.
